The inventor has found that in conventional electrical generation units of the type having a generator which must be excited or energised to produce an electrical energy output, as soon as a loading is applied to the output the electrical energy output drops. This problem is particularly acute in portable welding machines where the loading during welding is of such a nature that it can virtually shutdown the generator unless its drive means is substantially oversized. Likewise this problem is also acute in any high current application where the generator unit is required to provide a sustained high current.